Facing widespread Arab unrest, the army comes down hard

From inside the walled courtyard of Shifa Hospital, the 200 young men hurled stones at the advancing Israeli troops. On the roads leading to the hospital, other rioters set truck tires on fire, smearing the brilliant blue sky over Gaza with stinking black smoke. Nearby, a loudspeaker on the minaret of a mosque blared encouragement: "Oh, you young people, go at them! Don't back off!" As an Israeli helicopter dropped tear-gas canisters into the courtyard, the soldiers finally stormed the gates, chasing the demonstrators through the hospital's corridors and beating some of them bloody. Two Palestinians were shot to death in...